Horse Slaughter

Horse Slaughter

"Americans are revolted by horse slaughter, it is cruelty they just don't want to support,"-Lindsay Rajt of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

In 2007, congress banned the inspection of horse meat for human consumption in the United States, which, in turn forced the slaughterhouses to close because they could not sell uninspected meat, according to Kevin Murphy's article. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama has legalized the inspection of this controversial meat and has made it possible for horse to be slaughtered in our country once again.

There are strong opposing sides in the equestrian community on the topic of horse slaughter; those who, like me, are completely against this despicable practice and those who are pro-slaughter activists. These activists have very many arguments as to why horse slaughter should be legal in the United States, but it all comes down to them wringing the last bit of money they can from the faithful animals who have served them their whole lives.

The most common argument the pro slaughter activists make is that when Bush's law passed, thousands of unwanted horses were abandoned and neglected, with an astounding 138,000, as stated by Kevin Murphy, being shipped off to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered for barbarians in Japan, Russia, and Mexico. Another point, and perhaps the most obscene, someone who is pro slaughter will make is that horse slaughter is better for the "horse industry". This statement may have held true one hundred and fifty years ago, in a time when horses played the role of our cars and work/war machines and there actually was a horse industry, but, the truth is, horses in this day and age are a luxury, not a necessity, and so there should be no "market" for them. The truth about these greedy horse owners is that old, neglected, and junk horses need a place to be disposed of. Instead of caring for the elderly animal, like a responsible owner, they would rather make the last couple hundred dollars off of these majestic animals and have them brutally killed than to have to pay a couple hundred dollars to have them euthanized by a veterinarian. Two hundred dollars is an afterthought when it comes to horse ownership and it might as well be paid to give that animal a peaceful end to his life.

The whole process of horse slaughter is abusive and drugs given to horses throughout their lives are not safe for human consumption whatsoever, which is stated right on the labels of said medications. Not to mention that since we are civilized and do not consume horses, we will pay higher taxes for inspection of meat that is going to feed other countries. Horses that are sent to slaughter are jammed inside of double decker stock trailers, which are made for cattle with shorter necks than a horse and do not accommodate the length of a horse's neck or the size